


In Sickness and in Health

by Croatoanvirus2014



Category: Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-04-01
Packaged: 2018-05-30 10:38:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6420388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Croatoanvirus2014/pseuds/Croatoanvirus2014
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Victor gets really sick and his dearest friend Henry is there to make sure he's okay</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Sickness and in Health

**Author's Note:**

> so like we were reading frankenstein in class about two months ago and i was just like "these two are really fuckin gay" and so this fanfic happened and I hope you enjoy it!! also henry doesn't die in this fic bc screw it he was too precious to die

Victor looked the sort of sickly pale that warranted attention. He had caught the sickness a week ago, and had tried to push the thought of it away, though it became harder to do the most fatigued he grew. He had even written to Elizabeth and his father to tell them that he was doing well and that he missed them dearly. Elizabeth had sent him back a letter that stated she and his father both were happy to hear this news, and she hoped to see him soon.

Days of pushing away the inevitable sickness grew into weeks, and Henry had been subtly taking care of him, making him soup and ensuring he had been getting a proper amount of sleep so he wouldn't fall further into his illness. He couldn't deny how worried he was to see his closest friend sickened for such a long amount of time, and worried that this may be the end for him. _No, you mustn't think like that_ , he scolded himself. He had to have hope, even if his dear Victor had lost all of his. Still, as the days dragged on and he started refusing food on account of a bad stomachache, Henry couldn't help but let his mind wander to the terrible possibilities of his friend's fate. Eventually, an idea came to mind. Henry had decided he would try to get Victor to take a walk outside, hoping that the wonders of nature would help to soothe his sickness or, at the very least, uplift his spirits.

"Victor, come take a walk with me," Henry pleaded, voice soft with an underlying intensity to it. He didn't want to have to make this difficult, but he wanted what was best for his friend.

"Do I have to?" Victor asked, voice weak and full of pain. His whole body was sore and his head started pounding whenever it was too bright outside, like it currently was. Usually, the bright sun shining through the windows of his home would cheer him up, but now it just served to tease him, mocked him with the life he could have had if he hadn't created the creature. He could've lived a life full of wonder and appreciation for the great outdoors, but the mere possibility of his creature finding him had sickened him to the point where it was a struggle to even get out of bed most days.

"I suppose you don't have to, but wouldn't it be nice to get outdoors for once? You've been couped up in here for much too long," Henry replied, still attempting to convince him to come outside with him, though he knew that his efforts to help Victor, like most, would almost surely be denied. Still, he had to try.

"I suppose that it might be nice," Victor reluctantly agreed, "but only for a few minutes. I'm still sore in case you haven't noticed," he punctuated this by groaning while trying to stand up. Luckily, his dear Henry was there by his side in an instant and allowed him to lean his body up against his own for support. They moved slowly, but managed to get outside eventually. Now Henry just had to hope that it would help Victor.

Victor's cheeks started to regain their color, a light pink just barely present, but it was enough to make Henry let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding until that moment. He placed his hand lightly on Victor's shoulder, a sign of support, and Victor turned his head so quickly Henry was suprised he didn't get whiplash.

"Oh, sorry, you just startled me," Victor took one deep breath, then another, and relaxed into his dearest friend's touch, hoping it could last long enough to dispel any thoughts that still remained of his creature and its existence.

"It's quite alright," Henry replied, "would you like to stay outside longer?" He asked hesitantly, hoping that Victor wouldn't want to go back inside so soon.

"I think I would very much like that," Victor said with a small grin, "Here, let's sit," He continued, pointing to the small wooden bench next to them. Henry sat next to him, a little closer than the usual, but Victor couldn’t bring himself to care. As the sun beat down on him, Victor closed his eyes and grimaced. Henry soaked in the beautiful blue sky that day, enjoying the few wispy clouds that decorated it, but once he looked over at Victor, his look of enjoyment quickly shifted to one of pity. He hated seeing him sad, or sick, or angry, or just him not being himself in general. It made his heart ache in ways he didn’t know how to describe to others without being thought of as some sort of freak, or worse, a sodomite. Yet, these feelings were something he knew that he couldn’t escape, and hoped that Victor had the ability to comprehend this. A light tapping on his shoulder pulled him out of his sinful thoughts, and he waited for Victor to speak.

“Can we go back inside?” He asked, a pained look on his face that had regained almost all its color.

Henry nodded and held out his hand for Victor to take, and Victor graciously accepted the help getting back up. Henry blushed when he felt Victor’s hand in his own, and could feel his heart skip a beat, or maybe two. He tried to push down those sort of thoughts as they entered his house again, but for some reason the thought of Victor’s lips pressed against his own consumed his mind for the time being, and having Victor still lying down so close to him wasn’t helping matters. A thought came to his mind, and he couldn’t help but say it out loud.

“Did you ever hear the rumors about Shakespeare having an affair with another man?” Henry asked Victor, his heart racing as he awaited his response.

“I’ve heard the rumors. Do I know if they’re true?” Victor paused for a second, raising one eyebrow in thought, “No, I have no idea. I find it highly likely, however, so if that counts for anything, that’s my thought,” He finished, the last few words fading into a whisper. Victor had heard countless rumors, most of them spread maliciously, although a few were spread around almost like cherished secrets. He had admired the few people that acted like they were great secrets that just made him more interesting, and not some playwright that should go burn in hell like some people believed.

Henry lied down next to Victor on his bed, and took a few deep breaths. He heard Victor gulp nervously, and could tell he tried to hide that as well as the hitch in his breath when Henry “accidentally” brushed his arm against his while settling in. He pulled the blanket over himself, telling Victor that he had felt chilly, and Victor had only responded by closing his eyes and pretending to fall back asleep. Henry sighed to himself, but swore he saw the hairs on the back of Victor’s neck stand up, almost as if he liked the feeling of Henry next to him. Henry could only dream, and that’s what he ended up doing as he took a short nap next to Victor, his Victor.

Henry woke shortly after he had fallen asleep, and turned so he was facing Victor, who was still sound asleep. He couldn’t tell if that was good or meant he was getting sicker, and hoped it was the former. His mind, his damned mind, started thinking up the worst case-scenario, thought of Victor dying slowly and in pain while Henry watched helplessly, unable to do anything, and Henry let a single tear drop down his cheek, wiping it away with the sleeve of his shirt and taking a few deep breaths to relax himself. _Victor is still alive, you’ll be okay,_ he thought. Luckily, Victor woke up seconds later, and gave Henry a small smile.

“I think I’m feeling better,” He commented, “Thank you for taking care of me,” He said, looking into Henry’s eyes as he pulled the blanket up to his shoulders. He could feel the body heat between them warming him up tremendously, and selfishly thought for a second that they should move closer to each other, maybe even wrap their arms around each other. However, he knew that his feelings for Henry were probably not returned, and even if they were, that it could cause so many problems for both of them. Still, he hoped.

“It was no problem, my dear Victor,” Henry replied, the faintest hint of courage blossoming inside his heart, “I’m just glad you’re okay,” He finished. _If you weren’t okay, I don’t know how I could go on,_ he finished, only to himself. He felt one of Victor’s arms lightly wrap itself around his waist, and he gasped out of shock, causing Victor to pull back in fear.

“I’m sor-”

“-It’s fine,” Henry cut off his would-be apology, “Honestly, I mean it,” He assured him of this by wrapping his own arm around Victor’s waist, almost able to feel his bones with how thin the sickness had made him. It felt as if he was holding a ghost, and almost choked up at the thought.

“Would it be okay if I…” Victor trailed off, not able to convince himself to actually express his desires, even for something as simple and loving as a kiss.

“If you what?” Henry asked, a smirk on his face as he pulled Victor closer to him, now able to feel his chest pressed against his own. He could no longer deny how in love he was with his dearest friend in the world, and was astonished that from what he was able to tell, that Victor felt the same way.

Instead of answering, Victor let his actions speak louder than his words, as he usually did, and pressed a kiss to Henry’s lips, light as a feather, and then slowly pulled away, still being held in Henry’s arms. He loved how safe, warm, and protected he felt by his presence, and put all his feelings of shame behind him, wondering how a love this pure and innocent could ever be shameful in the first place.

Henry kissed Victor back hard, lips desperately pressing against the other man’s, leaving both of them gasping for air within a minute. Henry pulled back, forehead still pressed against Victor’s, and saw nothing but love written upon Victor’s face from his deep pink cheeks to his dilated pupils, to the twinkle of hope and pure joy in his eyes, to the satisfied grin on his lips. Henry grinned back, and whispered an “I love you” in the form of a kiss on his cheek and fingers running through Victor’s hair, making sure that he was comfortable with him, and that he wasn’t rushing anything.

“I love you,” Victor said aloud, putting his feelings out in the open. It felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest just by saying it, and yet he was still nervous that now that Henry had his heart, he could crush it into a million pieces and stomp all over it. _Anything is better than living a lie,_ he reasoned with himself.

“I love you too,” Henry replied in a whisper before pressing another soft kiss against Victor’s chapped lips. Minutes later, Victor told Henry that he needed some water to drink, complaining about how he was still slightly sick, and Henry immediately got him some water to drink. They stayed inside for the rest of that night, Victor regaining his health with every passing moment, and Henry couldn’t help but grin at the sight of his dearest –friend, lover, boyfriend?- start to finally feel better both physically and, if he was being fully honest, mentally. His mood had improved ever since that kiss, and Henry hoped that he was the reason why. When he fell asleep that night with his arm wrapped around Victor’s chest and Victor’s arm wrapped around his, he was certain of it. That night of sleep was the most relaxing either of them had gotten since Victor had fallen ill, and they awoke that next morning to lazy kisses, not ever wanting to leave that bed again.

 


End file.
